RFEF President Rafael Louzan: ‘The 2030 World Cup final has to be at Camp Nou or the Bernabeu’

RFEF President Rafael Louzan: ‘The 2030 World Cup final has to be at Camp Nou or the Bernabeu’ RFEF president Rafael Louzan has made it clear that Spain will fight to host the 2030 World Cup final, with the Santiago Bernabeu and Camp Nou both in the race. Spain, Portugal and Morocco have been selected as the co-hosts of the 2030 edition of the competition, with a few opening games also set for Argentina and Uruguay. As quoted by Mundo Deportivo , Louzan said he has “full confidence” that the final of the tournament, which will be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, will be played on Spanish soil. He said: “The World Cup final has to be at Camp Nou or at the Bernabeu.” Bernabeu praised as spectacular Louzan also explained why Spain believes it deserves the final ahead of Morocco’s Casablanca stadium. Santiago Bernabeu in contention to host the 2030 WC final. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) He said: “It would not be understood if Spain were not the venue for the World Cup final. There can be no doubt that Spain has to host the final because this World Cup was born in Spain, between Spain and Portugal, and Morocco joined later.” He acknowledged that FIFA will make the final decision, but he also praised Madrid’s stadium directly. He continued: “The choice of the final venue has to be assessed by FIFA. Madrid’s stadium is spectacular, Barcelona’s is being finished and it is true that it will have a difference of 25,000 more spectators, and that is not a minor detail, it is an important detail.” Los Blancos have a strong case From a Real Madrid perspective, the Bernabeu has an obvious argument. It is modern, central, globally iconic and already associated with the biggest nights in club football. Camp Nou’s higher future capacity may be a major point in Barcelona’s favour, but the Bernabeu offers a completed, elite venue in the capital of Spain. Bernabeu faces competition from Barcelona’s Camp Nou. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images) Louzan’s words are also important because they show the Spanish Federation’s priority is first to beat the Moroccan candidacy. The internal Spanish battle between Madrid and Barcelona will come after that. He added: “The final word belongs to FIFA and we are going to defend Spain’s interests. Spain has to be the venue for the final, it has led this World Cup, we have 55 percent weight in the organization.” The Bernabeu should get the nod ahead of the Camp Nou, as it is a finished product, whereas Barça’s stadium would still be chosen based on promise. It might be too big a risk to schedule a World Cup final at a stadium likely to be finished just a year and a half before the tournament itself. It remains to be seen whether Spain get the nod to host the final, and let us hope that the selected arena is the Santiago Bernabeu.